'My mom has gone crazy,' woman tells officers

Published 10:00 pm, Thursday, September 23, 2010

A crime scene investigator emerges from a home after a shooting on 14th Avenue Southwest near Southwest Roxbury Street in West Seattle.

A crime scene investigator emerges from a home after a shooting on 14th Avenue Southwest near Southwest Roxbury Street in West Seattle.

Photo: Thom Weinstein/Special To Seattlepi.com

Shooter in West Seattle slayings reportedly had mental problems

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The first Seattle officers to arrive found Thyda Luellen wounded by gunfire, bleeding on the street.

The 42-year-old was the sole survivor of a massacre, apparently perpetrated by her own mother -- a woman reportedly with a history of mental problems. Assistant Police Chief Jim Pugel said the woman described what happened in a few words:

"'My mom has gone crazy.'"

Those killed were said to be teenage granddaughters of the shooter and her son-in-law.

Thursday's slayings were the city's worst mass killing since Kyle Huff fatally shot six people in March 2006 in a Capitol Hill home. As Thursday's killer is believed to have done, Huff ended his own life.

A 911 call received at 1:31 p.m. Thursday was the first indication there was trouble on the 9400 block of 14th Avenue Southwest, located just north of the map line that separates Seattle from the unincorporated but urban area of King County known as White Center.

As police moved to get a hold on the situation, a SWAT unit in the area for another purpose arrived at the scene, said Seattle police Sgt. Sean Whitcomb. Shots were fired while the medics were at the scene and at least two officers with rifles were deployed southbound on 14th Avenue Southwest from Southwest Barton Street.

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"I just heard gun shots. I come out and cops were all over," neighbor Bobby Miller told KOMO/4. "Just 'bam, bam,' and that was it, then screaming over here."

Unsure whether the man's report was correct or the killer might still be among the living, a police team burst into the house, looking for the woman wearing a white shirt and gray sweatpants.

Shortly after 2 p.m., they confirmed all inside dead.

Authorities at the scene said the 42-year-old daughter was shot three times, including once in the chest and another shot to the shoulder. Late Thursday night, she was listed in satisfactory condition at Harborview Medical Center.

Investigators recovered two pistols -- a 9 mm and a .25 caliber semiautomatic -- during an initial sweep of the house. Homicide detectives and crime scene investigators were expected to stay on scene late into the night.

"As you can imagine," Whitcomb said, "it's pretty vicious in there."

One of the women's relatives, Elizabeth Valencia, later expressed the shock felt by many of the neighbors who gathered at police tape surrounding the two-story rental house.

"It's like I want to drop to the ground and not wake up again," Valencia told our news partner, KOMO/4. www.komonews.com

Speaking shortly after the killings, Pugel said no motive had been established. Witness statements not yet taken and evidence not yet collected may offer an answer, if any is to be found.

Police said the woman suffered from mental illness. Relatives of the victim told KIRO/7 she was not on her medication when the shooting occurred. The same family members identified the dead as the wounded woman's husband and their two children.

Shock was palpable and morbid interest obvious around the slaying site in the hours that followed the shootings. As police moved cars and police tape to contain the area, detectives began interviewing neighbors and relatives were gathered onto a Metro bus.

Several neighbors wondered aloud whether the shooting was a drive-by. The area has long struggled with crime; a 40-year-old man was found beaten to death the day before at a park about 10 blocks from the shooting scene.

Thursday's incident brings the number of homicides in Seattle this year to 15, not including officer-involved incidents still under investigation. Of that number, at least nine have been domestic violence cases.

Whitcomb said the investigation into the killings is expected to continue in coming days.

Staff at Magic Bowl and Casino where Luellen works were talking about organizing some kind of benefit later this week. Thursday night they were just trying to grasp what had happened to Luellen, who describes herself on MySpace as a proud parent.

"She's a very smart individual and she's a great worker," said Vern Westerdahl, general manager of the in White Center business. "She's well thought of by everyone.